


Another

by WoodsOfBlight



Category: Rayman (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Madness, Rayman 2, Rayman doesn't manage to free Ly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26638846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WoodsOfBlight/pseuds/WoodsOfBlight
Summary: Every second, every minute, every hour is harder than the last. How long until one reaches the breaking point?
Kudos: 3





	Another

Another question.

Ly closed her eyes, pretending to have never even heard it. The Pirate waited before asking again, demanding an answer this time. It wanted to know where to find more things to steal, more people to abduct, more to destroy. That was all they ever wanted. Yet despite the gross imbalance of power, she remained silent once more. Her plan had been put into motion. It was just a matter of time.

Another hour.

She had lost her grasp on the flow of time very quickly. There wasn’t much thought she could spare on the time of day, not when the hum of electricity constantly buzzed in her ear. She remained solemn in her meditation, but not without grave efforts. It was like trying to focus while in a vice grip.

Another question.

She glared at the Pirate and through the haze of fatigue she could swear it was grinning. The same question as usual. Places. People. Riches. Always trying to coax betrayal from her. She wanted to smirk back at it, to somehow try and let it know that even when imprisoned, she had the upper hand, but it would have taken too much out of her. She needed to save her strength.

Another hour.

Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, the heat generated by the cage just adding to the difficulty of pushing through every minute. Her arms and legs were tired and hurting from her meditative pose becoming deeply uncomfortable over time, to say nothing of the electricity bursting with energy all around her. She was waiting, but she wasn’t sure how long she could afford to do so.

Another question.

They taunted her. Claimed they’ve found everything they wanted with or without her help. Said she talked in her sleep and revealed everything to them. Ly couldn’t remember sleeping, but then again, she couldn’t remember how many times she’d been asked, either.

Another hour.

Her arm twitched. A shock coursed through her elbow and throughout her body. Every jolt made her move again and again, scarring her body every time she hit her prison. She had to push every ounce of strength into not moving any further, to avoid another painful sting. It hurt. It burned. She balled her hands into fists and grit her teeth. She had to wait, she had to endure just a little longer. After all, she had a plan. It was just too complex for her to remember every element.

Another question.

She heard screams. Screams she recognized, screams she had never heard and never wanted to hear. They demanded answers again. Ly bit her lip, but gave them nothing but threats of her own. Her voice was louder than anything they could muster.

Another hour.

No more.

A Pirate.

It was strange to see these machines expire. The light in their eyes flickered and died, their voiceboxes seemed to exhale every bit of possibly stored air inside and oil poured violently from the torn arm. They weren’t alive, yet when facing ‘death’, they acted all too similar to living beings. She spared no more thoughts on them though, opting to vanish into what remained of the forest.

Another Pirate.

Ly growled and lunged, the motion proving to be just enough to topple the robot off its feet. The hook grazed her side, but she ignored it. Tapping into her rapidly dwindling energy reserves, she summoned some of her magic and pressed against its chest, melting right through the chassis like it was nothing. She grabbed the circuitry and pulled, sparks erupting all around her as she ended the existence of yet another invader. It burned her hand, but she hardly felt it by now. It wasn’t the first, nor the last time.

Another Pirate.

She pounced from the tree, trying not to put too much pressure on her foot as she landed. It hadn’t been doing too well since the last scuffle. The Pirate managed to dodge the first swipe and swing a fist at her. They traded blows, but the energy sphere in her hand proved far more lethal, than his punch. Her ears rang, but she climbed to her feet again. All this complex machinery, and she could still take it just by pouncing off a tree. She laughed, though she wasn’t sure why it was so funny.

Another Pirates.

Turning their own weapons against the Pirates proved far more volatile than she expected at first. The robot’s top half exploded violently, but the lower remained and let loose all the oil it still had inside. It was pure luck there was no spark to set it off. She collapsed onto the ground, sputtering, coughing and trying to wipe the oil off her face.

“Ly?”

The voice made her turn scramble on her knees and turn around. It was a… something. It was small. His voice was pleasant to hear. The sight of him filled her with strange emotions she couldn’t name. It made her tear up, even though she promised herself she wouldn’t do that again. He slowly walked towards her, stepping past the Pirate carcasses. Part of her wanted to defend herself, but she couldn’t tell what from. She wasn’t looking at a machine. This was a person. A strangely familiar person.

He made it past the final few steps and reached out, ignoring the hands she had still raised in her defense. He said many things, words of apology for being late, for not managing to find her sooner, something about months or masks, or both, but much of it eluded her. There was something soothing about his voice that she kept focusing on. He removed something bright red from his torso and reached towards her with it. She reeled back at the approach, but the more he kept talking, the more his voice lowered her defenses.

Once he managed to wipe some of the oil off, he gently took her hand and examined it, muttering something about ointments and salves. Ly knew those words, but recalling their exact meaning proved more difficult than she had expected. Maybe she was just tired, she couldn’t quite recall the last time she spent any time not on her feet. His hand felt warm though. Not hot like searing metal or the energy she’d been burning through. Just warm, like a soft summer breeze. It was a pleasant feeling.

Another hand to hold.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This was originally a "character + emotion" short prompt I ran on my tumblr (woodsofblight), but I liked the idea so much I ended up expanding it.


End file.
